The Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints face off this coming weekend in what is being called an NFC Conference Championship rematch. You can also call it the rubber game, meaning the deciding game after two teams split the pair played in 2018. It is easily the Game of the Week, whatever you choose to call it, and definitely one of the most anticipated games of 2019. But will this game live up to the hype or come undone? Check out what the Los Angeles Rams Week 2 Preview reveals.
Rams Week 2 Preview: vs Saints, Chip and All
The attitude of Saints fans towards the NFL (and now its referees) is disdainful at best. Of course, this dates back to the infamous pay-per-injury scandal known as Bountygate. Even during their Week 1 Monday Night Football home game, fans mocked and taunted refs wearing striped shirts, large whistles, toting signs and more. Reports would soon follow of how they have yet to get over last season’s NFC Conference championship game.
The Rams aren’t susceptible to getting caught up in the shouldered chips of other teams. They have a mission to accomplish. The Saints, once again, are just another team in their way. But with all the hype and drama that’s sure to cloud their sunshine this week, their biggest and most powerful adversary can show up in any game, any week of the season. It’s the person opposite each player and each coach when he looks in the mirror. There’s likely to be at least a few staredowns in those mirrors this week.
Rams Week 1 Key Points at a Glance
Rams Offense
Most of the Rams starters played what was essentially their first preseason game last weekend against the Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, especially, they looked every bit the rustiest of teams.
The offensive line didn’t look good early on. Todd Gurley might’ve had a flashback or two from 2016 as Panthers greeted him at or behind the line of scrimmage entirely too often. In the second half, the line appeared to get in flow and Gurley had success. But guess what? To the trained eye, Gurley still didn’t look 100 percent.
Rams Defense
The Panthers offense opened the game looking fairly sharp while driving from their own 25-yard line to the Rams 26 before fumbling. The Rams defense stiffened up gradually soon after. In fact, they appeared to settle in and strengthen when tragedy struck (tragic at that point in time, anyway). Eric Weddle took a violent knee to the head and left the game for good.
The Weddle-less unit was not quite the same after that, looking a bit unsure of itself at times. Do keep in mind that although it’s not a brand new or completely revamped group of guys. The youngsters are simply under new leadership and extended on-field direction until things become second nature.
Week 2 Key Points of the Game of the Week
The Saints March In Confidence
I mean, let’s face it. Drew Brees is way more established and has lots more clout behind center than Jared Goff. Receiver Michael Thomas deserves and gets top billing on that team because he’s a bonafide superstar. The Rams, to their credit, have no receiving superstars but three really good 1A, 1B and 1C pass-catchers making up one of the best three-receiver sets in the NFL.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara is as dangerous a multi-purpose back as there is in the league.
But the ultimate danger to the Rams was not present at last season’s games. This is tight end, Jared Cook. Cook, who apparently knows how to catch for every team except the 2013-2015 Rams, always seems to hurt them significantly. I wouldn’t doubt if New Orleans signed him with that in mind. He’s an upgrade over tight ends Josh Hill and Dan Arnold (a combined 1 of 3, 24 yards last January).
The talk of Brees aging is mostly talk. As long as he’s upright on the field the Saints are never really out of a game. Also, take note, the Saints targeted eleven different players in that championship game. If they bring the kitchen sink to the coliseum, chances are good it sees a pass or two.
Rams Staff Needs To Show More Moxie
You’ve heard Gurley and teammates say it more than once, the Rams need only play their game. The mindset is to control what you can control. Given their total team talent it’s usually enough to seal the deal. However, once a thing happens to knock their focus out of alignment (and it will), they can be vulnerable. The Rams will need to quickly get their focus back should any surprises arise. In other words, this week they need their back-up plans to have back-up plans.
May remembering cutdown day be suggested? After all, ‘it’s not called show friends, it’s called show business.’
Rams management surprised quite a few people, even fans, with a few keepers that disabled them to keep other well-liked players. There was a reason for those moves the casual Angeleno may not realize. In short, you never discount upside, especially when saving money is involved.
It would be wise of the Rams to exercise that same moxie and not fear playing some of that talent in Week 2. The starters will probably need a bit more rest as playing an entire game with no preseason can be taxing enough. The Monday night game versus the Houston Texans looked like a second-half workout for Sean Payton’s boys. Sean McVay and Wade Phillips can take a page out of the Bill Belichick Hall of Fame-worthy handbook and outsmart the Saints. In this case, with well-paced chess move substitutions, I don’t believe Payton can match.
These new faces showed promise in the preseason and are capable of huge plays.
Last Word on The Game of the Week
Being big on eye tests regarding NFL football, Week 1 was a victory by a Rams team that looked like a shell of what it’s capable of. Goff looked like Fisher-Priced at times – Don’t stand there letting tacklers come right at your face. Throw the ball away!
The second-half play-calling was mixed well and executed for the most part but the weapons appeared quicker in training camp. Expect them to be in Week 2.
4-receiver sets could work wonders. Remember, Josh Reynolds burned them for 74 yards in that NFC championship game.
One factor I absolutely love, utilizing Malcolm Brown early to wear down opposing defenses late when Gurley all loose and feeling it. REPEATING: This is definitely one of those weeks in which the Saints could be running on fumes late. They aren’t built for grass, they’re a carpet team much like the Greatest Show on Turf was.
The defensive side holds aces and with Weddle back in the line-up (my money says he is), there can be a constant progressive game flow which lacked late Week One.
Still, with all that said, the most important thing is putting pressure on Drew Brees. The Texans obviously missed having the disruptive Jadeveon Clowney and constant double-teams on J.J. Watt seemed to do the trick: J.J. Watt, (Wait for it…) for the first time in his career, did not record one single sack, tackle…Nothing! Whitney Mercilus, no doubt Houston’s best defensive player that night, had the team’s only sack.
The Rams need to come stronger than that. I’m thinking they will but it would be nice to see Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Greg Gaines get in on some of the action. Both are quite the load to keep blocked.
Las Vegas odds for the game opened at Rams -3. As it stands now, the Rams are a fat -5 in my book.
Be sure and catch the next Rams weekly preview as well as betting lines, odds and game picks, Thursday’s gameday score predictions and all LastWordOnProFootball news and analyses.
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